Shiba Offers More Ramen for the Slurping in Oakland

Shiba Ramen has opened its second location in Oakland today, bringing well-timed hot soup to warm the hearts of rain-soaked Bay Area diners. This iteration of the simple ramen restaurant is bigger than the original, which is located in Emervyille Public Market (and it’s got sake).

Owners Jake Freed and Hiroko Nakamura are both former chemists with a serious love of ramen, and use a “scientific approach” to create their ramen. However, they’ve now signed on a chef to oversee both shops in the form of chef Danny Keiser, formerly of Camino. Keiser will bring more pickled dishes and fermented dishes to the menu, to accompany the various ramen styles. Expect to see dishes from the original location, like the Clear ramen with bean sprouts, soft-boiled egg, pork or chicken chashu, and bamboo shoots, and the Shiba wings, sesame pepper fried chicken wings. There’s also the possibility of fried chicken sandwiches and rice bowls.

Shiba Ramen

It sounds like this location, which offers up 40 seats to the hungry lunch customers surrounding Oakland City Hall, could be the first of many as Freed says they hope to grow Shiba Ramen’s presence in the Bay Area. It will also serve as a “lab” for the science-minded duo, where new specials and sides can be developed for both restaurants.

Shiba Ramen is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

• Bay Area In the Midst of Boiling Ramen Boom [ESF]